Matched order fulfillment with linear optimization

ABSTRACT

A method for matching compound orders from a group of market participants includes receiving, via a communication network, compound order data, the compound order data specifying a maximum amount of a financial instrument of a plurality of financial instruments to be bought or sold by each market participant, accessing a memory in which price data is stored, the price data indicating a current price of each financial instrument, implementing, with a processor, a linear solver to maximize fulfillment of the compound orders via order matching for execution at the current prices in accordance with the maximum amounts specified in the compound order data and in accordance with a maximum net risk exposure level for each market participant arising from the fulfillment of the compound orders, and transmitting trade data indicative of the order matching for execution of trades among the market participants at the current prices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation under 37 C.F.R. § 1.53(b) of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/617,845, filed Sep. 14, 2012, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference and relied upon.

BACKGROUND

A financial instrument trading system, such as a futures exchange,referred to herein also as an “Exchange”, such as the Chicago MercantileExchange Inc. (CME), provides a contract market where financialinstruments, for example futures and options on futures, are traded.Futures is a term used to designate all contracts for the purchase orsale of financial instruments or physical commodities for futuredelivery or cash settlement on a commodity futures exchange. A futurescontract is a legally binding agreement to buy or sell a commodity at aspecified price at a predetermined future time. An option is the right,but not the obligation, to sell or buy the underlying instrument (inthis case, a futures contract) at a specified price within a specifiedtime. The commodity to be delivered in fulfillment of the contract, oralternatively the commodity for which the cash market price shalldetermine the final settlement price of the futures contract, is knownas the contract's underlying reference or “underlier.” The terms andconditions of each futures contract are standardized as to thespecification of the contract's underlying reference commodity, thequality of such commodity, quantity, delivery date, and means ofcontract settlement.

Typically, the Exchange provides for a centralized “clearing house”through which all trades made must be confirmed, matched, and settledeach day until offset or delivered. The clearing house is an adjunct tothe Exchange, and may be an operating division of the Exchange, which isresponsible for settling trading accounts, clearing trades, collectingand maintaining performance bond funds, regulating delivery, andreporting trading data. The essential role of the clearing house is tomitigate credit risk. Clearing is the procedure through which theClearing House becomes buyer to each seller of a futures contract, andseller to each buyer, also referred to as a novation, and assumesresponsibility for protecting buyers and sellers from financial loss dueto breach of contract, by assuring performance on each contract. Aclearing member is a firm qualified to clear trades through the ClearingHouse.

Although futures contracts generally confer an obligation to deliver anunderlying asset on a specified delivery date, the actual underlyingasset need not ever change hands. Instead, futures contracts may besettled in cash such that to settle a future, the difference between amarket price and a contract price is paid by one investor to the other.Cash Settlement is a method of settling a futures contract whereby theparties effect final settlement when the contract expires bypaying/receiving the loss/gain related to the contract in cash, ratherthan by effecting physical sale and purchase of the underlying referencecommodity at a price determined by the futures contract price.

By employing cash settlement, futures may be based on more abstractmarket indicators, such as stock indices, interest rates, futurescontracts and other derivatives. Rather than requiring the delivery of amarket index (a concept that has no real meaning), or delivery of theindividual components that make up the index, at a set price on a givendate, index futures can be settled in cash. The difference between thecontract price and the price of the underlying asset (i.e., currentvalue of market index) is exchanged between the investors to settle thecontract.

Traders frequently trade multiple futures contracts rather than focus onany single futures contract. In a typical futures trading environment,traders enter into a “spread” between two distinct, yet similarcontracts by buying or going long in one contract and selling or goingshort in another contract. A trader may enter into a “calendar” or“intra-market spread” by buying and selling two futures contracts in thesame market but in different contract months, such as the purchase of aMarch Eurodollar futures contract coupled with the sale of a SeptemberEurodollar futures contract. A trader may enter into an “inter-market”spread by buying and selling two futures contracts in different markets,such as the purchase of a 5-year Treasury note futures contract coupledwith the sale of a 10-year Treasury note futures contract.

A trader may “leg into” spreads by entering two separate orders for thelong and short portions of the spread. Frequently, however, spreadtrading is accommodated by directly listing a spread on the exchange sothat the spread may be executed at a singular price without legging intothe two sides of the spread separately. Once a transaction price for thespread is established, the exchange thereupon books the two separatelegs of the spread separately.

More complex spreads or “combination trades” are also commonplace. A“butterfly” spread entails the execution of transactions across threedifferent contract months in a particular futures contract. For example,a trader may buy one March Eurodollar futures, sell two June Eurodollarfutures and buy one September Eurodollar futures.

Option contracts are particularly conducive to complex combinations oftransactions spread across puts and calls; strike prices as well asexpiration dates. For example, a trader may enter into a vertical bullcall spread by buying a low-struck Euro-US dollar call and selling ahigh-struck Euro-US dollar call, with the same expiration data.Frequently, option combinations may involve two, three, four or moredifferent options.

“Packs” and “bundles” of Eurodollar option contracts may be traded withthe use of a singular order traded at a singular price. For example, a2-year bundle may be executed by buying (or selling) the first eightquarterly expiring Eurodollar futures.

In many cases, the exchange will list such complex or combinationspreads or transactions just as the exchange may list calendar andinter-market spreads that may be traded directly as a singular order.The exchange may apply an algorithm to determine the price of theindividual legs of the spread once the transaction is concluded at asingular price or price differential.

The exchange may limit its listings of complex or combination spreads tothe more popular or frequently traded of such transactions. Tradersinterested in more complicated orders that are not listed on theexchange may be compelled to “leg-into” the trade by executing eachindividual leg separately. But the process of legging into the spreadentails risk to the extent that one may be unable to execute one or morelegs, or that prices fluctuate adversely after one has already executedone or more leg(s) of the transaction and before one has concluded theother legs. In the latter case, the trader thus incurs a loss relativeto the original spread price to complete the spread trade.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative computer network system that may be usedto implement aspects of the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the system ofFIG. 1 for matching compound orders using a linear solver in accordancewith the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart showing operation of the system of FIGS. 1and 2.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative embodiment of a general computer system foruse with the system of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed embodiments relate to trade matching systems and methods.The disclosed systems and methods are configured to maximizingfulfillment and matching of compound or composite orders. Thefulfillment of such orders may facilitate joint asset liabilitybargaining for a group of traders or other market participants. With thedisclosed systems and methods, market participants may execute acombination of individual transactions with the placement of a single,composite or compound order for multiple financial products orinstruments. The disclosed systems and methods allow the marketparticipants to use the compound order to participate in multiplemarkets.

The compound orders may be collected or otherwise received over aspecified period of time, e.g., during the course of a single hour, day,week, etc., which may be referred to as the “pre-opening” period. Uponconclusion of the pre-opening period, all received orders are processedby the disclosed methods and systems for trade matching directed toexecuting the orders jointly while maximizing the number of filledorders that may be matched or executed. Fulfillment is maximized byimplementing a linear solver. The linear solver optimizes an operantfunction defined and otherwise configured to be representative of theorder matching process. Fulfillment may thus be optimized on aninter-market basis across a number of distinct contracts for variousfinancial products or instruments.

As described below, the linear solver is implemented in accordance withthe net risk arising from the fulfillment and order matching. A maximumnet risk exposure level may be specified for each market participant.The maximum net risk exposure level introduces flexibility into theoptimization process by allowing each market participant to be allocateda slightly unbalanced portfolio during the order matching process. Themaximum net risk exposure level may vary as desired. For example, thedisclosed methods and systems may provide each market participant theopportunity to select a maximum net risk exposure level in the form ofupper (long) and lower (short) bounds on the net risk exposure level.The maximum net risk exposure level(s) may then be incorporated into theoptimization process as a constraint of the operant function.

The disclosed methods and systems may allocate orders to optimize aparticular operant function for a variety of different complex orcompound order scenarios. One example involves compound orders of CMEGroup Select Sector stock index futures. The operant function isconfigured to achieve the maximum number of fills, measured in terms offutures contracts, while ensuring that each participant is assigned aportfolio of futures that presents a net risk exposure below a maximumlevel and, thus, a balanced net risk exposure.

Although the net risk is measured in the examples described below via anet beta weighted exposure level, other metrics or measures of the netrisk may be used, such as the weighted net duration in interest rateproducts, the weighted net basis point value (BPV or DV01) in interestrate products, or the weighted net British thermal unit (BPU) value inenergy products. In these ways, the net risk exposure level may bemeasured across multiple markets of correlated financial products orother instruments. Different parameters may be used in conjunction withthe disclosed methods and systems to accommodate differences in themanner in which such instruments are correlated.

The disclosed methods and systems provide a technique for entering intoa series of transactions using a single order mechanism. The series oftransactions may be referred to herein as a complex or compound order.In one example, participants in the over-the-counter (OTC) interest rateswap (IRS) markets, including dealers and other financial institutions,may have occasion to enter into a complex series of Eurodollar futurespositions, spanning a wide variety of contract months, including longand/or short positions, in configurations that are not reflected inlisted spreads, packs or bundles. In another example, a stock indextrader may enter into a portfolio of positions, both long and short in avariety of CME Group Select Sector futures contracts, in configurationsthat are not reflected in listed spreads. In yet another example, ayield curve trader may enter into a series of long and short positionsin CME Group Treasury bond and note futures as a means of acceptingexposure to movements in the shape of the yield curve, in configurationsthat are not reflected in listed spreads. In each of these examples,traders may wish to enter, or exit, positions that comprise a portfolioof related risk exposures, for a wide variety of motivations. However,this activity generally implies that one must enter into each “leg” ofthe complex series of trades separately.

The disclosed methods and systems may support the requests fromparticipating traders through order fulfillment at an established (or tobe established) price or value. The disclosed methods and systems mayutilize a trade-at-settlement or other batch order processing scheme, asdescribed below.

The trade matching techniques of the disclosed methods and systems maybe incorporated into an order matching system of the Exchange.Alternatively or additionally, the disclosed methods and systems may beimplemented as part of other order matching processes.

In some embodiments, the disclosed methods and systems are implementedin a centralized processing system, such as one hosted by the Exchange.Alternatively, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in adistributed fashion where a portion of the functionality may beimplemented on a computer system of the market participant. For example,a client application may be provided to the market participant, orotherwise integrated with the trading interface utilized thereby, whichdisplays information regarding the auction and otherwise enables thefunctionality described herein. The client application may theninterface or otherwise interact with a back-end system or database ofthe Exchange to submit bids, execute and view the results of simulatedor actual auctions against the other market participants or otherwiseexchange data and messages therewith. The disclosed embodiments may beimplemented in different ways that provide the disclosed functionalitythat facilitates the auction process.

While the disclosed embodiments may be discussed in relation tointer-market trading in various correlated futures contracts, such asstock (e.g., stock sector) index futures contracts relative to a marketindex, it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments may beapplicable to other futures contracts, such as interest rate futures orenergy futures. The disclosed methods and systems may also be used inthe trading of financial instruments, such as securities products, e.g.,stocks or bonds, to the trading over-the-counter (OTC) derivativeproducts, e.g., interest rate swaps (IRS), credit default swaps (CDS),currency forwards, commodity swaps, equity swaps, etc. The disclosedmethods and systems may be applied to many different equity, options, orfutures trading system or other market now available or later developedwhere market participants may wish to enter into a composite orderinvolving multiple, correlated financial instruments. For example, thedisclosed methods and systems may be used in the context of variousinterest rate, currency, and physical commodity markets, such asagricultural markets.

The financial instruments may thus be correlated with one another in avariety of ways, and need not be correlated with one another via amarket index. The disclosed methods and systems may be used inconnection with uncorrelated financial instruments.

It will be appreciated that the plurality of entities utilizing thedisclosed embodiments, e.g. the market participants, may be referred toby other nomenclature reflecting the role that the particular entity isperforming with respect to the disclosed embodiments and that a givenentity may perform more than one role depending upon the implementationand the nature of the particular transaction being undertaken, as wellas the entity's contractual and/or legal relationship with anothermarket participant and/or the exchange.

An exemplary trading network environment for implementing tradingsystems and methods is shown in FIG. 1. An exchange computer system 100receives orders and transmits market data related to orders and tradesto users, such as via wide area network 126 and/or local area network124 and computer devices 114, 116, 118, 120 and 122, as will bedescribed below, coupled with the exchange computer system 100.

Herein, the phrase “coupled with” is defined to mean directly connectedto or indirectly connected through one or more intermediate components.Such intermediate components may include both hardware and softwarebased components. Further, to clarify the use in the pending claims andto hereby provide notice to the public, the phrases “at least one of<A>, <B>, . . . and <N>” or “at least one of <A>, <B>, . . . <N>, orcombinations thereof” are defined by the Applicant in the broadestsense, superseding any other implied definitions herebefore orhereinafter unless expressly asserted by the Applicant to the contrary,to mean one or more elements selected from the group comprising A, B, .. . and N, that is to say, any combination of one or more of theelements A, B, . . . or N including any one element alone or incombination with one or more of the other elements which may alsoinclude, in combination, additional elements not listed.

The exchange computer system 100 may be implemented with one or moremainframe, desktop or other computers, such as the computer 400described below in connection with FIG. 4. A user database 102 may beprovided which includes information identifying traders and other usersof exchange computer system 100, such as account numbers or identifiers,user names and passwords. An account data module 104 may be providedwhich may process account information that may be used during trades.

A match engine module 106 may be included to match bid and offer pricesand may be implemented with software that executes one or morealgorithms for matching bids and offers. The match engine module 106 maybe configured to implement one or more aspects of the disclosed methodsand systems, including, for instance, the optimization of matchedfulfillment of complex or compound orders of correlated financialinstruments. The match engine module 106 may be in communication withone or more of the local area network 124, the wide area network 126, orother elements of the exchange computer system 100 to receive dataindicative of the orders from the market participants.

A trade database 108 may be included to store information identifyingtrades and descriptions of trades. In particular, a trade database maystore information identifying the time that a trade took place and thecontract price. An order book module 110 may be included to compute orotherwise determine current bid and offer prices. A market data module112 may be included to collect market data and prepare the data fortransmission to users. A risk management module 134 may be included tocompute and determine a user's risk utilization in relation to theuser's defined risk thresholds. The risk management module 134 may alsobe configured to determine risk assessments or exposure levels inconnection with positions held by a market participant. An orderprocessing module 136 may be included to decompose delta-based and bulkorder types for processing by the order book module 110 and/or the matchengine module 106. A volume control module 140 may be included to 140may be included to, among other things, control the rate of acceptanceof mass quote messages in accordance with one or more aspects of thedisclosed embodiments. It will be appreciated that concurrent processinglimits may be defined by or imposed separately or in combination, as wasdescribed above, on one or more of the trading system components,including the user database 102, the account data module 104, the matchengine module 106, the trade database 108, the order book module 110,the market data module 112, the risk management module 134, the orderprocessing module 136, or other component of the exchange computersystem 100.

The trading network environment shown in FIG. 1 includes exemplarycomputer devices 114, 116, 118, 120 and 122, which depict differentexemplary methods or media by which a computer device may be coupledwith the exchange computer system 100 or by which a user maycommunicate, e.g. send and receive trade or other information therewith.It will be appreciated that the types of computer devices deployed bytraders and the methods and media by which they communicate with theexchange computer system 100 is implementation dependent and may varyand that not all of the depicted computer devices and/or means/media ofcommunication may be used and that other computer devices and/ormeans/media of communications, now available or later developed may beused. Each computer device, which may comprise a computer 400 describedin more detail below with respect to FIG. 4, may include a centralprocessor that controls the overall operation of the computer and asystem bus that connects the central processor to one or moreconventional components, such as a network card or modem. Each computerdevice may also include a variety of interface units and drives forreading and writing data or files and communicating with other computerdevices and with the exchange computer system 100. Depending on the typeof computer device, a user can interact with the computer with akeyboard, pointing device, microphone, pen device or other input devicenow available or later developed.

An exemplary computer device 114 is shown directly connected to exchangecomputer system 100, such as via a T1 line, a common local area network(LAN) or other wired and/or wireless medium for connecting computerdevices, such as the network 420 shown in FIG. 4 and described belowwith respect thereto. The exemplary computer device 114 is further shownconnected to a radio 132. The user of radio 132, which may include acellular telephone, smart phone, or other wireless proprietary and/ornon-proprietary device, may be a trader or exchange employee. The radiouser may transmit orders or other information to the exemplary computerdevice 114 or a user thereof. The user of the exemplary computer device114, or the exemplary computer device 114 alone and/or autonomously, maythen transmit the trade or other information to the exchange computersystem 100.

Exemplary computer devices 116 and 118 are coupled with a local areanetwork (“LAN”) 124 which may be configured in one or more of thewell-known LAN topologies, e.g. star, daisy chain, etc., and may use avariety of different protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, etc. Theexemplary computer devices 116 and 118 may communicate with each otherand with other computer and other devices which are coupled with the LAN124. Computer and other devices may be coupled with the LAN 124 viatwisted pair wires, coaxial cable, fiber optics or other wired orwireless media. As shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary wireless personaldigital assistant device (“PDA”) 122, such as a mobile telephone, tabletbased compute device, or other wireless device, may communicate with theLAN 124 and/or the Internet 126 via radio waves, such as via WiFi,Bluetooth and/or a cellular telephone based data communicationsprotocol. PDA 122 may also communicate with exchange computer system 100via a conventional wireless hub 128.

FIG. 1 also shows the LAN 124 coupled with a wide area network (“WAN”)126 which may be comprised of one or more public or private wired orwireless networks. In one embodiment, the WAN 126 includes the Internet126. The LAN 124 may include a router to connect LAN 124 to the Internet126. Exemplary computer device 120 is shown coupled directly to theInternet 126, such as via a modem, DSL line, satellite dish or any otherdevice for connecting a computer device to the Internet 126 via aservice provider therefore as is known. LAN 124 and/or WAN 126 may bethe same as the network 420 shown in FIG. 4 and described below withrespect thereto.

The operations of computer devices and systems shown in FIG. 1 may becontrolled by computer-executable instructions stored on anon-transitory computer-readable medium. For example, the exemplarycomputer device 116 may include computer-executable instructions forreceiving order information from a user and transmitting that orderinformation to exchange computer system 100. In another example, theexemplary computer device 118 may include computer-executableinstructions for receiving market data from exchange computer system 100and displaying that information to a user.

Numerous additional servers, computers, handheld devices, personaldigital assistants, telephones and other devices may also be connectedto the exchange computer system 100. Moreover, the topology shown inFIG. 1 is merely an example and that the components shown in FIG. 1 mayinclude other components not shown and be connected by numerousalternative topologies.

As shown in FIG. 1, the match engine module 106 and/or the orderprocessing module 136 of the Exchange computer system 100 may implementone or more aspects of the order matching and fulfillment provided bythe disclosed methods and systems, as will be described with referenceto FIG. 2. It will be appreciated the disclosed embodiments may beimplemented as a separate module or a separate computer system coupledwith the Exchange computer system 100 so as to have access to therequisite order, pricing, and/or other data. As described above, thedisclosed embodiments may be implemented as a centrally accessiblesystem or as a distributed system, e.g., where some of the disclosedfunctions are performed by the computer systems of the marketparticipants.

The above-described modules of the Exchange computer system 100 may beimplemented in connection with a trade at settlement (TAS) process orother batch settlement process. In a TAS process, buyers and sellersenter orders to transact in a specified futures contract at the dailysettlement price. Daily settlement prices may be established as arepresentative price traded during the last minute or 30 seconds of thedaily trading session. The daily settlement price may be established asthe midpoint of the closing range, e.g., the high-low range tradedduring the last minute or 30 seconds of the session. Alternatively, thedaily settlement price may be established by reference to the VolumeWeighted Average Price (VWAP) established during the final minute or 30seconds of the daily trading session. A VWAP technique may be used inconnection with products that are traded electronically as opposed toproducts traded via open outcry to the extent that it may be difficultor impossible to identify each specific transaction by price and volumetransacted during the last minute or 30 seconds of trade when traded ina pit. The disclosed methods and systems are not limited to VWAPtechniques or TAS processes, and may instead use any type of settlementtechnique that determines a number of prices to process orders in bulkor as a batch.

TAS procedures involve traders entering orders to buy or sell at a priceto be determined via the daily settlement process. Once orders areaccepted and the settlement price is established, the buy and sellorders may be matched. The time at which the orders are matched mayvary. For example, the disclosed methods and systems may be implementedbefore the settlement prices are established, but, for example, after adeadline for entering the compound orders. In either case, there maytypically be excess or surplus buys and sells that cannot be matched.For example, if there are 1,000 entered buy orders and 1,500 enteredsell orders for a particular product, a total of 1,000 orders may bematched while 500 of those surplus sell orders may be unfulfilled.

In some TAS processes, the Exchange applies an algorithm to identifywhich surplus orders go unfulfilled. This algorithm may reference a“first-in, first-out” rationale, i.e., the orders that are placed firsttake precedence over orders that are accepted subsequently.Alternatively, the surplus orders may be identified randomly. Thesurplus orders may alternatively be identified proportionately to thesize of the order entered. In the disclosed methods and systems, theallocation or identification of the orders to be fulfilled is insteaddetermined through linear optimization as described below.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a match engine module 106 (and/ororder processing module 136) according to one embodiment, which in anexemplary implementation, is implemented as part of the exchangecomputer system 100 described above. As used herein, an exchangeincludes a place or system that receives and/or executes compoundorders. FIG. 2 shows a system 200 for matching compound orders among agroup of market participants to maximize fulfillment in trades of anumber of correlated financial instruments. The financial instrumentsmay be correlated with a market, e.g., a broader market index, such asthe S&P 500 market index.

The system 200 includes a processor 202 and a memory 204 coupledtherewith which may be implemented as a processor 402 and memory 404 asdescribed below with respect to FIG. 4. The system 200 further includesa first logic 206 stored in the memory 204 and executable by theprocessor 202 to cause the processor 202 to receive, such as via acommunication network 218 coupled therewith, compound order data from orfor the market participants. The compound order data for each marketparticipant specifies a maximum amount of contracts of each financialinstrument to be bought or sold. For example, a trader may specify aninterest in buying (or selling) no more than 45 contracts of aparticular futures product or other financial instrument. The traderalso specifies order data for the other correlated financialinstruments.

In this embodiment, the first logic 206 is also configured to cause theprocessor 202 to receive, via the communication network 218, a maximumnet risk exposure level for one or more of the market participants. Forexample, a trader may specify that, during fulfillment, the system 200may not match the orders such that the resulting portfolio leaves thetrader with a net exposure level greater than $10000. The net exposurelevel is determined by offsetting the notional amounts of buy orderswith the notional amounts of sell orders. Each such maximum net riskexposure level defines a constraint of a linear problem to be solved oroptimized during fulfillment as described below. With the first logic206, each market participant may customize the net risk exposure levelthat may be reached as a result of the fulfillment of the compoundorder. The maximum net risk exposure levels may thus differ among themarket participants.

As described below, the net risk exposure levels of a portfolioresulting from the order matching may be determined based on a riskmetric of each financial instrument relative to a market indicator ofthe market. In some embodiments, the maximum net risk exposure level isa beta-weighted notional exposure level. The weighting allows theexposure levels to reflect the risk or volatility of each positionwithin the compound order. Other risk metrics may be used to weight theexposure levels. For example, the notional exposure of each order(without any beta or other adjustment) may serve as the risk metric.

Each maximum net risk exposure level may include or specify upper and/orlower bounds on the net risk. The upper and lower bounds may thus differfor each market participant. For example, a trader may be comfortablewith more risk when the resulting portfolio of the correlated financialinstruments has, on balance, a net long position. The trader may thenspecify an upper (or long) bound of, e.g., $25000, and a lower (orshort) bound of some lower amount, such as $10000.

The system 200 is alternatively or additionally configured with amaximum net risk exposure level to be applied for each marketparticipant. In some cases, the level may present a default level to beused if a market participant elects not to specify an upper or lowerbound. Alternatively or additionally, the system 200 may allow eachmarket participant to specify a maximum net risk exposure level as longas the level remains within a limit specified by the system 200.

The system 200 further includes second logic 208 stored in the memory204 and executable by the processor 202 to cause the processor 202 toaccess a database in which price data is stored. The database may betrade database 108 (FIG. 1). The price data may include data indicativeof a current price of each financial instrument at which the compoundorders are to be executed. The processor 202 may be in communicationwith the trade database 108 or other memory(ies) via the network 218 orany other communication link. The price data may further includehistorical price data for the financial instruments, which may be usedto determine a beta value or other volatility measure as describedbelow.

The system 200 further includes third logic 210 stored in the memory 204and executable by the processor 202 to cause the processor 202 toimplement a linear solver to maximize fulfillment of the compound ordersvia order matching at the current prices. As described below, the linearsolver is implemented in accordance with the data received from themarket participants, namely the maximum amounts specified in thecompound order data and, in some cases, the maximum net risk exposurelevels. The maximum amounts and maximum net risk exposure levels may beused to configure the linear solver as constraints on an operantfunction to be optimized. The configuration of the linear solver isdescribed in greater detail below.

The system 200 further includes fourth logic 212 stored in the memory204 and executable by the processor 202 to cause the processor 202 totransmit trade data indicative of the order matching resulting from theimplementation of the linear solver. The trade data may be transmittedto one or more of the system modules described above in connection withFIG. 1 to support the execution of trades among the market participantsat the current prices.

The system 200 may further include fifth logic 214 stored in the memory204 and executable by the processor 202 to cause the processor 202 todefine and/or configure an integer operant function to be optimized bythe linear solver. As described below, the integer operant function isconfigured and directed to maximize fulfillment of the compound orders.The third logic 210 may include the fifth logic 214 or be otherwisefurther executable by the processor 202 to direct the implementation ofthe fifth logic 214.

The integer operant function may be configured such that buy orders areindicated via integer numbers of contracts having an opposite sign ofsell orders. For example, buy orders may be indicated by positiveintegers, and sell orders may be indicated by negative integers, or viceversa. The integer operant function may also be configured such that theorder matching results in or otherwise corresponds with a net zeronumber of positions created for each financial instrument. The number ofcontracts of each financial instrument that are bought within the groupof market participants accordingly matches the number of contracts soldas a result of the fulfillment.

The system 200 further includes sixth logic 216 stored in the memory 204and executable by the processor 202 to cause the processor 202 tooptimize the integer operant function with (i) the maximum amounts, (ii)the maximum net risk exposure levels, and (iii) the order matchingwithin each financial instrument, as constraints on the integer operantfunction.

The maximum net risk exposure levels may include or specify both upper(or long) and lower (or short) bounds on the exposure levels. Theexposure level may be a beta-weighted notional exposure level. In otherembodiments, the risk exposure levels may be determined or weighted byother volatility metrics received, accessed, or determined based on, forinstance, the historical price data of each financial instrument.

The linear solver may include any commercially available linearoptimizer. In some cases, the linear optimizers are computer programproducts capable of high order processing. The linear solver mayalternatively or additionally include customized software modules orsystems configured via one or more high-level programming languages.

The linear solver may use one or more of a variety of linear programmingtechniques to optimize the operant function. The linear optimizer orother linear solver may reach or identify the optimal solution, i.e.,the order matching that results in maximum fulfillment of the compoundorders. The parameters received or otherwise established by the system200 are used as constraints on the linear problem presented by theoperant function.

Data indicative of any the intermediate or final results of theabove-described processing and compound order fulfillment may be storedin the trade database 108, the memory 204, or other database or memoryof the system 200 or the exchange computer system 100 (FIG. 1). Dataindicative of the compound order fulfillment may be transferred to themarket participants via the network 218 or any of the othercommunications links described herein.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart showing operation of the system 200 of FIG.2. In particular FIG. 3 shows a computer-implemented method for matchingcompound orders from a group of market participants for a plurality offinancial instruments. The financial instruments share one or morecontract terms or specifications, or are otherwise correlated with oneanother. The operation of the system 200 includes: receiving compoundorder data specifying a maximum amount of each correlated financialinstrument [block 300]; receiving upper and lower bounds for maximum netrisk exposure levels [block 302]; accessing a price database or othermemory in which price data is stored to obtain the current prices ofeach financial instrument at which the compound orders are to beexecuted [block 304]; implementing a linear solver to maximizefulfillment of the compound orders in accordance with the maximumamounts and the maximum net risk exposure levels [block 310]; andtransmitting trade data indicative of the order matching [block 312].

In some embodiments, the price database or other memory may be accessedto obtain both current prices [block 306] and price history data [block308]. The price history data may be used to determine the beta or othervolatility measure used to weight or determine the exposure levels.

In some embodiments, implementing the linear solver includes defining aninteger operant function [block 312], configuring and/or optimizing thefunction with a number of constraints [block 314], and offsetting theexposure levels resulting from the purchase or sale of the financialinstruments to determine a net exposure level [block 316].

The blocks of the above-described method may be implemented in an orderother than as shown. For example, the maximum net risk exposure levelsmay be received or determined before the order data is received. Asanother example, the price data may be obtained before the compoundorder or other data is received from the market participants. Additionalor alternative blocks may be implemented.

One or more modules described herein may be implemented using, amongother things, a tangible computer-readable medium comprisingcomputer-executable instructions (e.g., executable software code).Alternatively, modules may be implemented as software code, firmwarecode, hardware, and/or a combination of the aforementioned. For examplethe modules may be embodied as part of an exchange system 100 forfinancial instruments.

Referring to FIG. 4, an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem 400 is shown. The computer system 400 can include a set ofinstructions that can be executed to cause the computer system 400 toperform any one or more of the methods or computer based functionsdisclosed herein. The computer system 400 may operate as a standalonedevice or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to other computersystems or peripheral devices. Any of the components discussed above,such as the processor 202, may be a computer system 400 or a componentin the computer system 400. The computer system 400 may implement amatch engine, order processing, and/or other function on behalf of anexchange, such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, of which thedisclosed embodiments are a component thereof.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 400 may operate in thecapacity of a server or as a client user computer in a client-serveruser network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer(or distributed) network environment. The computer system 400 can alsobe implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wirelesstelephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner,a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, aweb appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In a particularembodiment, the computer system 400 can be implemented using electronicdevices that provide voice, video or data communication. Further, whilea single computer system 400 is illustrated, the term “system” shallalso be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems thatindividually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructionsto perform one or more computer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the computer system 400 may include aprocessor 402, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or both. The processor 402 may be a component ina variety of systems. For example, the processor 402 may be part of astandard personal computer or a workstation. The processor 402 may beone or more general processors, digital signal processors, applicationspecific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, servers,networks, digital circuits, analog circuits, combinations thereof, orother now known or later developed devices for analyzing and processingdata. The processor 402 may implement a software program, such as codegenerated manually (i.e., programmed).

The computer system 400 may include a memory 404 that can communicatevia a bus 408. The memory 404 may be a main memory, a static memory, ora dynamic memory. The memory 404 may include, but is not limited tocomputer readable storage media such as various types of volatile andnon-volatile storage media, including but not limited to random accessmemory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electricallyprogrammable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory,flash memory, magnetic tape or disk, optical media and the like. In oneembodiment, the memory 404 includes a cache or random access memory forthe processor 402. In alternative embodiments, the memory 404 isseparate from the processor 402, such as a cache memory of a processor,the system memory, or other memory. The memory 404 may be an externalstorage device or database for storing data. Examples include a harddrive, compact disc (“CD”), digital video disc (“DVD”), memory card,memory stick, floppy disc, universal serial bus (“USB”) memory device,or any other device operative to store data. The memory 404 is operableto store instructions executable by the processor 402. The functions,acts or tasks illustrated in the figures or described herein may beperformed by the programmed processor 402 executing the instructions 412stored in the memory 404. The functions, acts or tasks are independentof the particular type of instructions set, storage media, processor orprocessing strategy and may be performed by software, hardware,integrated circuits, firm-ware, micro-code and the like, operating aloneor in combination. Likewise, processing strategies may includemultiprocessing, multitasking, parallel processing and the like.

As shown, the computer system 400 may further include a display unit414, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emittingdiode (OLED), a flat panel display, a solid state display, a cathode raytube (CRT), a projector, a printer or other now known or later developeddisplay device for outputting determined information. The display 414may act as an interface for the user to see the functioning of theprocessor 402, or specifically as an interface with the software storedin the memory 404 or in the drive unit 406.

Additionally, the computer system 400 may include an input device 416configured to allow a user to interact with any of the components ofsystem 400. The input device 416 may be a number pad, a keyboard, or acursor control device, such as a mouse, or a joystick, touch screendisplay, remote control or any other device operative to interact withthe system 400.

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 4, the computer system400 may also include a disk or optical drive unit 406. The disk driveunit 406 may include a computer-readable medium 410 in which one or moresets of instructions 412, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, theinstructions 412 may embody one or more of the methods or logic asdescribed herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions 412 mayreside completely, or at least partially, within the memory 404 and/orwithin the processor 402 during execution by the computer system 400.The memory 404 and the processor 402 also may include computer-readablemedia as discussed above.

The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium thatincludes instructions 412 or receives and executes instructions 412responsive to a propagated signal, so that a device connected to anetwork 420 can communicate voice, video, audio, images or any otherdata over the network 420. Further, the instructions 412 may betransmitted or received over the network 420 via a communicationinterface 418. The communication interface 418 may be a part of theprocessor 402 or may be a separate component. The communicationinterface 418 may be created in software or may be a physical connectionin hardware. The communication interface 418 is configured to connectwith a network 420, external media, the display 414, or any othercomponents in system 400, or combinations thereof. The connection withthe network 420 may be a physical connection, such as a wired Ethernetconnection or may be established wirelessly as discussed below.Likewise, the additional connections with other components of the system400 may be physical connections or may be established wirelessly.

The network 420 may include wired networks, wireless networks, orcombinations thereof. The wireless network may be a cellular telephonenetwork, an 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, or WiMax network. Further, thenetwork 420 may be a public network, such as the Internet, a privatenetwork, such as an intranet, or combinations thereof, and may utilize avariety of networking protocols now available or later developedincluding, but not limited to TCP/IP based networking protocols.

Embodiments of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed in this specification can be implemented in digital electroniccircuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including thestructures disclosed in this specification and their structuralequivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Embodiments ofthe subject matter described in this specification can be implemented asone or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules ofcomputer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution bya processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or moreof the methods or operations disclosed herein. The computer readablemedium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readablestorage substrate, a memory device, or a combination of one or more ofthem. The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers.The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates anexecution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., codethat constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, or a combination of one or moreof them.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be arandom access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally,the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or opticalmedium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capturecarrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmissionmedium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives may be considered a distributionmedium that is a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure isconsidered to include any one or more of a computer-readable medium or adistribution medium and other equivalents and successor media, in whichdata or instructions may be stored.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, suchas application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods described herein. Applications that may include theapparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsthat may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference toparticular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to suchstandards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet and otherpacket switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP,HTTPS) represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards areperiodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards andprotocols having the same or similar functions as those disclosed hereinare considered equivalents thereof.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can bedeployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module,component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computingenvironment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to afile in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a filethat holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in amarkup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program inquestion, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store oneor more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer programcan be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computersthat are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andanyone or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computerneed not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be embedded inanother device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global Positioning System (GPS)receiver, to name just a few. Computer readable media suitable forstoring computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of examplesemiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks;magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor andthe memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purposelogic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented on a devicehaving a display, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystaldisplay) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboardand a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the usercan provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used toprovide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedbackprovided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visualfeedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from theuser can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactileinput.

Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can beimplemented in a computing system that includes a back end component,e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g.,an application server, or that includes a front end component, e.g., aclient computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browserthrough which a user can interact with an implementation of the subjectmatter described in this specification, or any combination of one ormore such back end, middleware, or front end components. The componentsof the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digitaldata communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a widearea network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

As described above, one or more aspects of the methods and systems maybe configured to incentivize bidding by clearing members in acompetitive auction held by the clearing house after a default event. Inthe event of a default by a clearing member, the auction is directed totransferring the open customer positions of the defaulting clearingmember. The clearing house may first attempt to hedge the positions, andthen auction any hedged and unhedged positions to other clearingmembers. As described above, the disclosed methods and systems areconfigured to reward winning auction bids by allocating a portion of thewinning clearing firm's contribution to the guaranty fund to a highertranche, and penalizes a non-competitive bid by subordinating a portionof the clearing firm's contribution to a lower tranche.

Implementation of the disclosed methods and systems is not limited toapplications in which actual trading is occurring. The order matchingand fulfillment may be part of a simulated trading environment. Forexample, the matching and fulfillment process may be simulated to show“what if” results according to various combinations of bids and/orpositions. The results may be provided to a market participant asfeedback in preparation for an actual trading session. Theabove-described processing systems may be useful for executing largenumber of such simulated environments to provide market participantswith data or information leading up to, or during, the actual tradingsession. The market participants may use such information to determinemaximum order amounts, customize maximum net risk exposure levels, orotherwise prepare for the trading session.

FIG. 5 provides an exemplary implementation of one embodiment of thedisclosed methods and systems to maximize fulfillment of compound ordersof correlated financial instruments. The example is provided within thecontext of stock sector index markets with the understanding that thedisclosed methods and systems are well suited for other markets,financial instruments, and contexts. The stock sector index products maybe the E-mini Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Select Sector stock indexfutures made available by CME Group. Such sector index markets arecorrelated with one another and, more generally, with the market for S&P500 futures, such as the E-mini S&P 500 futures made available by CMEGroup.

In the CME Group example, the stock sector index futures contracts arebased upon the various industrial sectors that make up the stock marketin general, and the S&P 500 index in particular. These sectors includeconsumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financial, healthcare, industrial, materials, technology, and utility stocks. Thesefutures contracts may have a notional value of $100× the level of theindex. For example, on May 31, 2011, the consumer discretionary indexwas quoted at 406.16. Thus, the associated futures contract maynominally or notionally be valued at $40,616 (=$100×406.16). Othervalues are provided in the table of FIG. 5 entitled “Sector Stock IndexFutures,” which also includes a column directed to indicating the natureof the correlation of each sector index with the broader S&P 500 market.In this embodiment, the relationship between a particular sector indexand the broader S&P 500 index is provided by the parameter “beta” (β).The beta for the consumer discretionary index was calculated as 1.071 asshown in the table.

The parameter beta is indicative of the volatility or risk of an assetor portfolio in accordance with the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM).Other risk metrics may be used, such as the unadjusted notionalexposure. The CAPM represents a way of understanding how equity valuesfluctuate or react to various economic forces driving the market. Themodel suggests that the total risk associated with any particular stockmay be categorized into systematic risks and unsystematic risks.Systematic risk is a reference to “market risks” reflected in generaleconomic conditions and which affect all stocks to some degree. E.g.,all stocks are affected to a degree by Federal Reserve monetarypolicies, by general economic strength or weakness, by tax policies,etc. Unsystematic risk or “firm-specific risks” represent factors thatuniquely impact upon a specific stock. E.g., a company may have createda unique new product or its management may have introduced new policiesor direction that affect the company to the exclusion of others. Theextent to which systematic and unsystematic risks impact upon the pricebehavior of a corporation may be studied through statistical regressionanalysis. Accordingly, one may regress the returns of the subject stock(R_(stock)) against the price movements of the market in general(R_(market)), as follows:

R _(Stock)=α+β(R _(Market))+ε

R_(market) is generally defined as the returns associated with a macrostock index such as the Standard and Poor's 500 (S&P 500). The alpha (α)or intercept of the regression analysis represents the average return onthe stock unrelated to market returns. Finally, we have an error term(C). The regression analysis includes the slope term or beta (β); and,R-squared (R²), where beta (β) identifies the expected relative movementbetween an individual stock and the market. This figure is normallypositive to the extent that all stocks tend to rise and fall together. βgravitates towards 1.0 or the β associated with the market in theaggregate but might be either greater than, or less than, 1.0. Forexample, if β=1.1, the stock may be expected to rally by 11% when themarket rallies by 10%; or, to decline by 11% if the market declines by10%. Stocks whose betas exceed 1.0 are more sensitive than the marketand are considered “aggressive” stocks. As another example, if β=0.9,the stock is expected to rally by 9% in response to a 10% market rally;or, to decline by 9% if the market declines by 10%. Stocks whose betasare less than 1.0 are “conservative” stocks because they are lesssensitive than the market in general. The term R² identifies thereliability with which stock returns are explained by market returns. R²will vary between 0 and 1.0. For example, if R²=1.0, then 100% of stockreturns are explained by reference to market returns. This impliesperfect correlation such that one might execute a perfect hedge using aderivative instrument that tracks the market. In another example, ifR²=0, this suggests a complete lack of correlation and an inability tohedge using a derivative that tracks the market.

Just as one may calculate the beta of any individual stock vs. the S&P500, one may likewise extend this analysis to other indexes. Thus, onemay calculate the beta for the consumer discretionary select sectorindex as equal to 1.071. This implies that consumer discretionary stocksare generally aggressive stocks, likely to outperform the broader marketrepresented by the S&P 500 in bull markets but likely to underperform inbear markets. Or, one may calculate the beta for the consumer staplesselect sector index as equal to 0.556. This implies that consumerstables are generally conservative stocks, likely to underperform inbull markets but outperform in bear markets. These results are intuitiveto the extent that the term “consumer staples” is a reference to goodsthat consumers require in good times and in bad. On the other hand,discretionary consumer purchases may be postponed in bad times andhastened in good times.

Traders often wish to enter a series of transactions that areessentially beta neutral, i.e., which carry a weighted average beta ofzero. As such, a trader may buy into sectors of the economy that areexpected to outperform the market, while selling sectors of the economywhich are expected to underperform the market in general. If one does soin a beta-neutral fashion, then this represents a form of a “sectorrotation” trade, which may be executed via a compound order.

One may essentially enter into such a sector rotation transaction withuse of CME Group Select Sector stock index futures, perhaps incombination with S&P 500 futures as well. There may be other tradersthat wish to enter (or exit) such strategies and may be content to do soat the daily settlement prices for each of the various stock indexfutures.

The disclosed methods and systems collect or otherwise receive suchcomplex or compound orders and fulfill those orders at the dailysettlement price (or other agreed upon price) in a manner intended tomaximize the number of filled orders, recognizing that some orderimbalances may exist in the pool of entered orders. In order to do so,an integer linear programming technique or other linear solver is used,as described above. A linear solver may be applied to an operantfunction directed to maximizing the number of total fills.

The operant function is subject to a number of constraints as describedabove. In this example, the constraints include the maximum desiredposition in each leg of the compound order. For instance, each tradermay specify a maximum number of contracts to be bought or sold for eachfutures contract. The linear solver may then be configured with theconstraint that the filled orders are bounded by the maximum number andzero.

In this example, an order to buy is represented as a positive integerand an order to sell as a negative integer (e.g., a buy of 150contracts=150, while a sell of 75 contracts=−75). Each of the 10 futurescontracts in the example may be represented as 1, 2, 3, . . . , 10 suchthat an order may be represented as Order_(Account,Contract). Thus, anorder entered by Account A to buy 150 contracts in the 1 of the 10contracts (consumer discretionary futures) may be notated asOrder_(A,1)=150. An order to sell 75 contracts in the 2^(nd) of the 10contracts (consumer staples futures) entered by Account C may be notatedas Order_(C,2)=−75. The upper and lower constraints for Fills relativeto entered orders may be expressed in matrix format as follows:

$\begin{bmatrix}{Fill}_{A,1} & \ldots & {Fill}_{D,1} \\\vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\{Fill}_{A,10} & \ldots & {Fill}_{D,10}\end{bmatrix} \leq {\begin{bmatrix}{Order}_{A,1} & \ldots & {Order}_{D,1} \\\vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\{Order}_{A,10} & \ldots & {Order}_{D,10}\end{bmatrix}}$ ${\begin{bmatrix}{Fill}_{A,1} & \ldots & {Fill}_{D,1} \\\vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\{Fill}_{A,10} & \ldots & {Fill}_{D,10}\end{bmatrix}} \geq 0$

Another constraint on the operant function is representative of theorder matching. Buys and sells in each respective futures contract matchor balance such that the net positions created across all accounts totalto zero as follows:

Σ_(Account=A) ^(D)Fill_(Account,Contract)=0

Yet another constraint on the operant function involves the maximum netrisk exposure levels. In this example, the constraint is directed toensuring that the fills assigned to each account are such that the netbeta-weighted notional or nominal exposure, measured in dollars, isequal (or nearly equal) to zero. This constraint configures the linearsolver such that each customer account may hold a net long or short riskexposure as measured or weighted by the beta of each futures contract.Specifying the maximum net risk exposure level allows each marketparticipant to establish a certain degree of risk tolerance for thecompound order fulfillment. In this example, the risk tolerance level ornet risk exposure level is $10,000 above and below zero for eachaccount. The constraints may be expressed as follows:

Exposure_(Account) ≥ Lower  Bound Exposure_(Account) ≤ Upper  Bound

The upper and lower exposure levels of each account may be weighted bythe beta of each futures contract. The beta-weighted risk exposure ineach contract for each account may be represented as the product of theunderlying Index price in any particular contract (Index_(Contract)),the futures contract multiplier (Multiplier_(Contract)), the index beta(Beta_(Contract)) and the number of long or short fills(Fill_(Account,Contract)).

In the example of FIG. 5, the consumer discretionary index is quoted at406.16, the associated futures contract has a contract multiplier of$100, and a beta of 1.071. If Account A is assigned a fill of 150 longpositions in Contract 1 (Fill_(A,1)=150), then the beta weighed nominalexposure may be calculated as $6,524,960 (=406.16×$100×1.071×150contracts). The total exposure assumed by Account A represents thesummation of such beta weighted exposures across all contracts asfollows:

Beta Weighted Notional Exposure=Σ_(Contract=1)¹⁰Index_(Contract)×Multiplier_(Contract)×Beta_(Contract)×Fill_(Account,Contract)

With each trader having a maximum net risk exposure level of, forexample, $10,000 for both an upper (long) bound and a lower (short)bound, assume that four market participants A, B, C and D enter maximumorders as shown in the table in FIG. 5 entitled “Entered Orders.” Inthis embodiment, buys are represented by positive integers and sells arerepresented by negative integers.

Applying the linear solver with an operant function and constraints asdescribed above results in an optimal solution shown in the table ofFIG. 5 entitled “Filled Orders.” The final table shows the beta-weightednotional exposure levels associated with each transaction, as well asthe total, or net, exposure level for each market participant. Thesolution reached by the linear solver results in net exposure levelswithin the upper and lower bounds as shown.

Unlike normal spread trades, in which each trade involves twocounterparties buying and selling the financial instruments, thedisclosed methods and systems enable all of the counterparties inaggregate to satisfy all of the legs. Two counterparties need not bepaired up for any particular subset of the trade. The disclosed methodsand systems may thus achieve multilateral trade matching.

Note that while our example is cast in the context of stock indexfutures where the net risk exposure is measured in terms of weightedbeta of the portfolio, this system may be applied to other markets apartfrom stock index futures where risk may be measured through alternatemeans. While the example of FIG. 5 illustrates the application of thedisclosed methods and systems in the context of a series of orders instock index sector indexes, the disclosed methods and systems are notlimited to that context. For example, the methods and systems may beapplied to a series of yield curve spreads in the context of Treasuryfutures or Eurodollar futures. The disclosed methods and systems mayalso be applied to a series of other related products in the context ofcurrency, energy, metals, agricultural, and other markets. For example,the disclosed methods and systems may be applied to orders in interestrate futures such as 2-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year and 30-yearTreasury futures, representing different points along the yield curve.The disclosed methods and systems may be applied to a complex series ofyield curve spreads across these contracts, in which case the net riskexposure may be measured by, for instance, reference to either the netduration of the resulting portfolio or the net basis point value (BPV)also known as the Dollar Value of an “01” (DV01). In other examples, thedisclosed methods and systems may be applied to orders in energyfutures, such as crude oil, natural gas, various refined products. Insuch cases, different futures contracts may be compared in terms of theraw energy value of the product, as in, for example, British ThermalUnits (BTUs).

The disclosed methods and systems provide a mechanism for matching a setof compound orders to maximize fulfillment in these and other contexts.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from thedisclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Additionally, the illustrations are merely representational and may notbe drawn to scale. Certain proportions within the illustrations may beexaggerated, while other proportions may be minimized. Accordingly, thedisclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative ratherthan restrictive.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of the invention or of what may beclaimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particularembodiments of the invention. Certain features that are described inthis specification in the context of separate embodiments can also beimplemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures that are described in the context of a single embodiment canalso be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in anysuitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be describedabove as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed assuch, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some casesbe excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may bedirected to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings and describedherein in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiringthat such operations be performed in the particular order shown or insequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, toachieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking andparallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation ofvarious system components in the embodiments described above should notbe understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and itshould be understood that the described program components and systemscan generally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein,individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover,although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangementdesigned to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted forthe specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover anyand all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b) and is submitted with the understanding that it will not be usedto interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition,in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features may be groupedtogether or described in a single embodiment for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter may be directed toless than all of the features of any of the disclosed embodiments. Thus,the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as defining separately claimedsubject matter.

It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description beregarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understoodthat it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that areintended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.

1. (canceled)
 2. A computer implemented method for matching compoundorders, the method comprising: receiving, by a server computer system incommunication with a plurality of computer devices via a communicationnetwork, compound order data from a group of market participants for aplurality of financial instruments, the compound order data for eachmarket participant of the group of market participants representing asingle composite order for multiple financial instruments of theplurality of financial instruments, the compound order data specifying,for at least one of the market participant of the group of marketparticipants, at least one non-listed combination of two or more of theplurality of financial instruments, the compound order data specifying amaximum amount of each financial instrument of the plurality offinancial instruments to be bought or sold by each market participant ofthe group of market participants; accessing a memory in which price datais stored, the price data indicating a respective price of eachfinancial instrument of the plurality of financial instruments at whichthe compound orders are to be executed; implementing, with a processorof the server computer system, an optimization process configured forfulfillment of the compound orders, the fulfillment being via ordermatching for execution at the respective price of each financialinstrument of the plurality of financial instruments; and transmittingtrade data indicative of the order matching for execution of tradesamong the market participants at the respective price of each financialinstrument of the plurality of financial instruments; whereinimplementing the optimization process comprises: configuring theoptimization process via a number of constraints, the number ofconstraints comprising the maximum amounts specified in the compoundorder data, a respective maximum net risk exposure level for each marketparticipant, and that a net zero number of positions is created for eachfinancial instrument; and determining net risk exposure levels for eachmarket participant by offsetting, for each market participant, riskexposure values resulting from buy orders with risk exposure valuesresulting from sell orders; wherein each respective maximum net riskexposure level specifies long and short bounds on net risk exposurelevel that allow each market participant to be allocated an unbalancedportfolio as a result of the fulfillment.
 3. The computer implementedmethod of claim 2, wherein the maximum net risk exposure level is a riskmetric-weighted level.
 4. The computer implemented method of claim 2,wherein the maximum net risk exposure level is a volatilitymetric-weighted level.
 5. The computer implemented method of claim 2,wherein the maximum net risk exposure level is a maximum netbeta-weighted notional exposure level.
 6. The computer implementedmethod of claim 2, wherein the order matching within each financialinstrument is a further constraint on the optimization process.
 7. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 2, wherein: the plurality offinancial instruments are correlated with a market; and the net riskexposure levels are determined based on a risk metric of each financialinstrument relative to a market indicator of the market.
 8. The computerimplemented method of claim 7, wherein the market indicator is a marketindex.
 9. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein thecompound orders to buy the financial instruments are indicated in theinteger operant function via integer numbers of contracts having anopposite sign of the orders to sell the financial instruments.
 10. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising receiving,via the communication network, the maximum net risk exposure level forat least one of the market participants.
 11. A server computer systemfor matching compound orders, the server computer system comprising aprocessor and a memory coupled therewith, the server computer systemfurther comprising: first logic stored in the memory and executable bythe processor to receive, from a plurality of computer devices incommunication with the server computer system via a communicationnetwork, compound order data from a group of market participants for aplurality of financial instruments, the compound order data for eachmarket participant of the group of market participants representing asingle composite order for multiple financial instruments of theplurality of financial instruments, the compound order data specifying,for at least one of the market participant of the group of marketparticipants, at least one non-listed combination of two or more of theplurality of financial instruments, the compound order data specifying amaximum amount of each financial instrument of the plurality offinancial instruments to be bought or sold by each market participant ofthe group of market participants; second logic stored in the memory andexecutable by the processor to cause the processor to access a databasein which price data is stored, the price data indicating a respectiveprice of each financial instrument of the plurality of financialinstruments at which the compound orders are to be executed; third logicstored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause theprocessor to implement an optimization process configured forfulfillment of the compound orders, the fulfillment being via ordermatching at the respective price of each financial instrument of theplurality of financial instruments; and fourth logic stored in thememory and executable by the processor to cause the processor totransmit trade data indicative of the order matching for execution oftrades among the market participants at the respective price of eachfinancial instrument of the plurality of financial instruments; whereinthe third logic is further executable by the processor to cause theprocessor to: configure the optimization process via a number ofconstraints, the number of constraints comprising the maximum amountsspecified in the compound order data, a respective maximum net riskexposure level for each market participant, and that a net zero numberof positions is created for each financial instrument; and determine netrisk exposure levels for each market participant by offsetting, for eachmarket participant, risk exposure values resulting from buy orders withrisk exposure values resulting from sell orders; wherein each respectivemaximum net risk exposure level specifies long and short bounds on netrisk exposure level that allow each market participant to be allocatedan unbalanced portfolio as a result of the fulfillment.
 12. The servercomputer system of claim 11, wherein the maximum net risk exposure levelis a risk metric-weighted level.
 13. The server computer system of claim11, wherein the maximum net risk exposure level is a volatilitymetric-weighted level.
 14. The server computer system of claim 11wherein the maximum net risk exposure level is a maximum netbeta-weighted notional exposure level.
 15. The server computer system ofclaim 11, wherein the order matching within each financial instrument isa further constraint on the optimization process.
 16. The servercomputer system of claim 11, wherein: the plurality of financialinstruments are correlated with a market; and the net risk exposurelevels are determined based on a risk metric of each financialinstrument relative to a market indicator of the market.
 17. The servercomputer system of claim 11, wherein the compound orders to buy thefinancial instruments are indicated in the integer operant function viainteger numbers of contracts having an opposite sign of the orders tosell the financial instruments.
 18. A computer program product formatching compound orders, the computer program product comprising one ormore computer-readable storage media having stored thereoncomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors of a server computer system, cause the server computer systemto perform a procedure, the procedure comprising: receiving, from aplurality of computer devices in communication with the server computersystem via a communication network, compound order data from a group ofmarket participants for a plurality of financial instruments, thecompound order data for each market participant of the group of marketparticipants representing a single composite order for multiplefinancial instruments of the plurality of financial instruments, thecompound order data specifying, for at least one of the marketparticipant of the group of market participants, at least one non-listedcombination of two or more of the plurality of financial instruments,the compound order data specifying a maximum amount of each financialinstrument of the plurality of financial instruments to be bought orsold by each market participant of the group of market participants;accessing a memory in which price data is stored, the price dataindicating a respective price of each financial instrument of theplurality of financial instruments at which the orders are to beexecuted; implementing an optimization process configured forfulfillment of the compound orders, the fulfillment being via ordermatching at the respective price of each financial instrument of theplurality of financial instruments; and transmitting trade dataindicative of the order matching for execution of trades among themarket participants at the respective price of each financial instrumentof the plurality of financial instruments; wherein implementing theoptimization process comprises: configuring the optimization process viaa number of constraints, the number of constraints comprising themaximum amounts specified in the compound order data, a respectivemaximum net risk exposure level for each market participant, and that anet zero number of positions is created for each financial instrument;and determining net risk exposure levels for each market participant byoffsetting, for each market participant, risk exposure values resultingfrom buy orders with risk exposure values resulting from sell orders;wherein each respective maximum net risk exposure level specifies longand short bounds on net risk exposure level that allow each marketparticipant to be allocated an unbalanced portfolio as a result of thefulfillment.
 19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein themaximum net risk exposure level is a volatility metric-weighted level.20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the order matchingwithin each financial instrument is a further constraint on theoptimization process.
 21. The computer program product of claim 18,wherein the compound orders to buy the financial instruments areindicated in the integer operant function via integer numbers ofcontracts having an opposite sign of the orders to sell the financialinstruments.